It happens quite a lot around here. I've seen multiple people be inspired by the right combination of things on HN and launch similar projects back to back. Keeps it fun! (But also encourages moving really fast when you have an idea.)
Yes, you are right - there is a #programming category on Twitch, but the plan is to gather dev streamers from more platforms (YouTube comes next) into one dedicated place.
The price is intended to be across a global network and there are more locations coming. The space in Bali is completely brand new with contemporary architecture, and an adjacent restaurant and open rooftop space where there are regular acroyoga jams and capoeira classes.
If you want to find an individual room or villa to have by yourself, there are cheaper alternatives in the area. But the reality is that the inventory of larger properties -- say 20 to 50 units -- that are large enough to support an internal community, is much smaller across the whole island and the world, frankly speaking. The whole point of the project is community living in multiple parts of the globe, not being on your own or moving day-to-day from different Airbnbs (which is totally fine too!) So it really depends on your personal preferences of what kind of living space you think is right for you. (And lots of people have lots of different preferences, and that's OK.)
Looks pretty similar to the room in Ubud a motorbike tout found me for about $6 per night on a short term basis.
That said, most of the startup oriented stuff in Ubud seems to peg its prices to the Western world rather than local norms: there's coworking space in the City of London that costs about the same as Hubud, for example. Guess it depends on whether the community is worth paying the sort of premium the average middle class Australian holidaymaker won't.
$1600 will get you a room in more than 10 locations by the end of the year, that's where the real value is. I am actually staying the the Ubud location at the moment. It's very well done, the community is great and location is just right. This is not something you can find on Airbnb.
So can you occupy rooms in more than one location at the same time?
No?
Then it's just a really expensive room with high booking/cancellation flexibility and customer lock-in (you won't pick another room in a city if you've already paid for this).
So this seems to be basically just a premium version of what a youth hostel line membership gets you. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I can imagine that the business model might work.
(If the answer is actually "Yes" then I'm surprised and 1600$ doesn't seem so bad.)
Here is one scenario that I see happening - "I leave my $2500 apartment in NYC and I put my freelance developer job in my carry-on. I buy my flights and pay rent for a year at The Roam. I want 2 months in Bali, 4 months in Japan and 6 months Miami." I am taken care of and I don't have to worry about searching for the right location or meeting the right people. It seems pretty good to me.
$1600 is roughly an 8 night stay in Miami, at a decent hotel. I think this is a great deal for me as I can stay anywhere they are available when I want. I already pay over $2000 for a single bedroom apartment in downtown Fort Lauderdale - and I am stuck here in a lease for a year.
